


Looking Out for You

by DarkSeraphim



Category: due South
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-30
Updated: 2012-11-30
Packaged: 2017-11-19 21:18:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/577770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkSeraphim/pseuds/DarkSeraphim
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Though he was dead, it was clear the man still needed him.  He really couldn't trust Benton Fraser to take care of himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Looking Out for You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Azar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azar/gifts).



> I love due South and this is my first time writing a fic for it! Hope it is okay!

“Hey…Benton buddy?”

The Mountie did not turn, nor did he acknowledge the soft calling of the find nickname.  He seemed lost in his own world, and perhaps he was.  In all honesty, you never really knew with Benton Fraser.  He stood silently, decked out in full dress uniform, staring down at the grave that had been dug by three pairs of hands earlier that day.  The grave was unmarked, and the one lying inside had left a whole in the three men, more so in his longtime human partner. 

The two Rays looked at one another, concerned for their mutual friend.  They both knew very well how badly Diefenbaker’s death had hit Benton.  The animal had been sick for the last month or so.  Old age had been slowly but surely catching up with the wolf hybrid, causing all sorts of problems.  In the last week they had only gotten worse when Dief had his first seizure.  

Benton, the normally stoic and ever calm Mountie, had panicked.  It took hours for the Chicago detectives to calm him down.  It was one of the worst states they had ever seen their friends, both human and animal.  They had taken the poor boy to the vet, only to have the worst confirmed.  Dief was dying, and the most humane thing to do would be to put him down.  The seizures would only get more and more frequent, and all they would be able to do was make the pain a little easier to deal with.  So Benton, after speaking three hours with Dief (the vet called it a psychological letting go, but the Rays knew better…I mean the damn thing spoke Inuit!), made the decision to ease his best friend’s suffering.

Now here they stood, at Diefenbaker’s gravesite.  No one spoke, no one really needed to.  Everyone at the station had already professed heartfelt grief.  Everyone loved that animal, sometimes even the criminals they brought in.  Now it was just the three of them, the Mountie and the detectives.  

Ray Vecchio looked up at the darkening sky then walked up to Benton.  “Hey, Frase, it’s going to rain…we’ve said our goodbyes.  Let’s get you home.”

Ray Kowalski was on Benton’s other side, a hand on the man’s shoulder.  “He’s right…Dief wouldn’t want you to freeze, big guy.” 

He said nothing, but Fraser knew they were right.  It was just…how could he let go?  Diefenbaker had been with him for years, ever since he had saved the animal’s life so long ago.  It was like when Vecchio left on that undercover mission…only this time Dief wasn’t coming back.  He would go on without him, yes…but it was going to be an earthshaking change, that was for sure.

Bending down to gently touch the earth that now held his old friend, Benton Fraser whispered one last prayer to wherever the animal ended up, hoping that now he was at peace.

 

 

No.  This would not do.  This would not do at all. 

No!  There, he did it again!  If he had hands, he would be doing that silly face-palming thing that seemed to be in style now.  He couldn’t believe someone so smart was being so stupid!  The signs were so obvious, even to the most obtuse!  Or apparently not since…

Did he just…oh he did!  That tore it!  It was quite clear what needed to be done here.  Could the man not do anything on his own?

 

 

His office seemed to be the only sanctuary nowadays.  Benton winced as the muscles in his back protested to any kind of movement.  Unlike a good portion of his injuries this one was not related to any kind of criminal chasing or his usual adventures in stopping criminals.  No, this one was all due to stress and unfortunately he didn’t see it stopping anytime soon.

He glanced down at his paperwork, though he knew he wouldn’t be getting it done anytime soon.  Inspector Thatcher would be most cross with him but Benton couldn’t muster up the energy to focus.  His mind was firmly fixated on his two closest friends.

They had certainly been acting odd these last few months.  If he had to guess, he would say that it had started a week after Diefenbaker’s death.  He had been spending more time with the two than usual, naturally so after losing one of his oldest friends.  They had been quite supportive of him, they too missed the wolf and they often found themselves talking about various misadventures with the creature.  But then something…odd, had begun to happen and Benton couldn’t quite put his finger on what.

They hung out with him more, yes.  But that was something they always did.  Did they fight more?  No, that was pretty normal too.  Sure they were on much better terms now but they still sniped every once and a while.  Actually, they had been getting along much better since Dief died.  Perhaps it was for Benton’s sake, to avoid upsetting him? 

He shook his head.  No, that wasn’t it.  There was something…different, about them.  It wasn’t the lack of fighting.  It was…the way they interacted.  It was as though…

“Woof.”

Benton rolled his eyes.  “Don’t be silly Diefenbaker.  They aren’t lovers.  I think I would be able to tell if such a thing occurred.”

“Woof!”

“Well of course I wouldn’t be jealous.”  Would he though?  It was an unsettling thought, to be sure.  Maybe Dief…en…baker…

Benton slowly turned to be greeted with the sight of a white wolf staring him in the face.  Diefenbaker calmly sat next to his desk, staring pointedly at the obtuse Mountie. 

“You’re…back.”  Benton said, his mouth feeling numb at the words.  It was him…it was really him.  After his father had moved on with the spirit of his mother, Benton had thought himself done with such hauntings.  But here was his old friend, or rather his spirit, returned to talk to him.  He was frozen, but what he really wanted to do was embrace the apparition and never let him go.  That is until the wolf grunted at him.

“Yes, thank you I am well aware you are not really back.  I do have experience with ghosts.  So…why are you here?”

Dief gave him a steely stare and barked.  Benton’s eyebrows rose.  “You’re really going with that?  Alright, so say that they have indeed become…lovers.  Is that why they have been acting oddly with me?  Perhaps they think I will become upset.  After all it would be quite a shift in our dynamic.”  Benton frowned in thought, missing the face paw Dief had done in his frustration. 

Diefenbaker couldn’t believe that his friend could be so dumb.  He was only human after all, but even the blind humans could see the signals the two Rays were sending the Canadian.  He really did have to stay.  If those two couldn’t make Benton see their intentions, then obviously they couldn’t take care of him well enough.  Oh they were fine enough and he approved, but it was quite obvious that Dief needed to stick around. 

Benton wasn’t so sure of his own words.  Yes the two men were his closest friends and of course he wanted them to be happy, if that meant they were lovers.  He was fine with that….just fine.  “That’s simple enough to fix.  I will ask them to share dinner and tell them that it will not affect our friendship.” 

Diefenbaker’s loud bark startled Benton, causing him to look at the wolf with wide eyes.  “I did not teach you that kind of language.” 

Dief sighed, calming himself down.  It was alright, he just needed to speak in terms his human would understand.  That was why he was here, after all.  Clearly the human needed someone to look after him.  He would make Benton see the signals the two Rays were sending him and what was obviously best for him.  What was it humans called it…a threesome?  Well, whatever they called it, Dief was going to make sure that it happened.  He just needed to talk (or knock, he wasn't picky) some sense into the obtuse human.  Simple.  

A wolf's job was never done.


End file.
